ZeaChem Welcomes Senator Ron Wyden to Boardman, Ore., Biorefinery

Senator meets with company leadership to discuss opportunities for growth in the region

LAKEWOOD, Colo., Apr 12, 2012 -- ZeaChem Inc., a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of renewable feedstocks into sustainable fuels and chemicals, today welcomed U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to its 250,000 gallon-per-year biorefinery in Boardman, Ore., to see the facility’s progress first-hand and discuss opportunities for the biorefining industry in Oregon. In January 2012, ZeaChem began operations at the facility.

“I’m pleased to see the progress ZeaChem has made here in Boardman since my last visit and proud of the Oregonians who helped build and operate this plant,” said Wyden. “The success of this biorefinery is a perfect example of how Oregon is helping to lead our nation towards less reliance on fossil fuels while creating jobs in our rural areas.”

“We’re happy to have Senator Wyden back to our Boardman facility,” said Jim Imbler, president and chief executive officer of ZeaChem. “Building and operating a plant like this takes a considerable amount of planning and cooperative effort across a number of leaders in the region. We’re thankful for all the support we’ve received from the community and policy leaders at the local, state and national level. They’ve made this area an ideal location for future growth in the biorefining industry.”

ZeaChem’s proprietary, high-yield core technology produces intermediate chemicals acetic acid and ethyl acetate, both valuable building blocks for products like paints, lacquers and solvents. The integrated biorefinery will begin cellulosic ethanol production later this year and the company plans on building a commercial plant based on the successful operations at the Boardman facility.

About ZeaChem Inc.

ZeaChem Inc. has developed a cellulose-based biorefinery platform capable of producing advanced fuels and intermediate chemicals. ZeaChem's indirect approach leapfrogs the yield and carbon dioxide (CO2) problems associated with traditional and cellulosic based biorefinery processes. In addition, ZeaChem has a significant capital cost advantage compared to other cellulosic technologies. By efficiently extracting the most energy possible from biomass feedstocks, ZeaChem significantly increases output while reducing both production costs and environmental impacts. Incorporated in 2002, ZeaChem is headquartered in Lakewood, Colo., operates a research and development laboratory facility in Menlo Park, Calif., and a demonstration biorefinery in Boardman, Ore.